Jennifer Lawrence 'wardrobe malfunction' leaves skirt looking ripped

Jennifer Lawrence appeared to suffer every actress’s worst nightmare when her
skirt seemed to fall apart on stage.

7:26PM GMT 28 Jan 2013

The audience gasped when the 22-year-old performer’s thighs were exposed as she mounted the stairs at the Screen Actors Guild awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. In this case, the wardrobe malfunction was not intentional.

Some speculated she had accidentally stepped on the back of her gown or caught it under a chair leg. The actresses Marion Cotillard and Nicole Kidman looked on, knowing how embarrassing such an accident could be. The skirt could be seen appearing to split as she rose to accept her award for outstanding performance by a leading actress in Silver Linings Playbook.

However, the real reason for the mishap was a simple case of absent-mindedness. Lawrence hitched up her long dress forgetting that she was wearing an unusual three-tiered garment.

She revealed a four inch gap. What appeared to be an embarrassing hole was simply a sheer mesh lining, built in to allow the skirt to flow elegantly around the wearer.

The dress is part of the Christian Dior 2013 spring collection, described by the fashion house as “dark blue in silk”.

What appeared to be an embarrassing hole in the skirt has now been revealed to be a sheer mesh lining Photo: Getty Images/Xposurephotos.com

The actress, acclaimed for her performance in Hunger Games, took the accident in her stride, grimacing only slightly as she celebrated her award.

Smoothing down the skirt, she breathlessly told the audience of the “indescribable” feeling of winning, before acknowledging MTV for giving her a break at the age of 14.

She beat Jessica Chastain for her appearance in Zero Dark Thirty, Marion Cotillard for Rust and Bone, Helen Mirren for her part in Hitchcock and Naomi Watts for The Impossible. The ceremony also saw success for the British favourite Downton Abbey, with cast members including Michelle Dockery and Phylis Logan beating Homeland and Mad Men to be acclaimed for their “outstanding performance in a drama series”.

Daniel Day-Lewis, widely tipped to win a record-breaking third Oscar this year, won best leading actor for Lincoln.

The award for best actress in a supporting role went to Anne Hathaway for her appearance in Les Misérables while Argo was recognised as the best film.

Lawrence is not the only performer to suffer a wardrobe malfunction. The term entered the popular language with Janet Jackson’s appearance at the Superbowl in 2004, when Justin Timberlake tore off part of her costume to expose a breast.

Other unfortunate sufferers include the singer Lady Gaga, whose latex trousers split while on stage in Vancouver. The pop star Rihanna appeared almost naked when flash photographs shone through her sheer black dress as she enjoyed a night out in Hollywood.

Not only the stars of stage and screen are let down by a poor choice of clothing. David Cameron also faced sartorial difficulties as he exposed an unflattering section of his chest and stomach this year during dinner at Lord Mayor’s Banquet.